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Black Wings
The Black Wings is a Loyalist Codex Astartes-compliant Space Marine Chapter of unknown origins and Founding. Little is known of this Chapter's history within the Imperial archives. In 700.M35, for unknown reasons, half the Chapter renounced their vows and turned upon their former brethren. In the ensuing internecine conflict, much of the Black Wings' Fortress-Monastery was devastated and a number of their fleet vessels were destroyed until their traitorous kin were driven off-world. Swearing an eternal oath of vendetta, the Black Wings changed their livery to a halved-pattern of crimson and black, until justice is finally visited upon their erstwhile kin and the Chapter's soul is fully healed. Chapter History Notable Campaigns *'The Sorrowful Pursuit (ca.118-418.M33)' - Chapter Master Khardin Gol of the Black Wings Chapter and numerous Lords of the Imperium were brutally murdered during the infamous Hour of Shadow, which plunged the world of Lorin Alpha into riot and madness. In the aftermath, the Black Wings pursued the Chaos Renegades known as The Tenebrae into the Veiled Region beyond the edge of Imperial space seeking revenge. Three centuries later, a single damaged Strike Cruiser returned from the outer void bearing a handful of survivors. They would speak of what they had endured to none save the agents of the Ordo Malleus of the Inquisition. The Chapter was slowly rebuilt to full strength from its reserve stocks of gene-seed over several solar decades and swore an eternal oath of vendetta against The Tenebrae and its nightmarish works. *'Cleaving of the Black Wings (700.M35)' - Five entire companies of the Black Wings Chapter renounced their vows of service, turning upon their brethren at the height of the Chapter's centennial Ritual of Remembrance. The battle that followed saw hundreds slain and several Strike Cruisers destroyed, and laid waste to much of the Chapter's fortress-monastery before the renegades were finally driven off. The cause of this base treachery was never fully ascertained, although some came to suspect a deep seated Warp taint that took root in the Chapter's soul centuries before, slowly twisting the Chapter's rituals and doctrines. The Black Wings Chapter changed its livery, painting half of its crimson armour black until such time as the renegade brethren are hunted down and made to pay for their heinous crime. *'The Martyred Sons (416.M37)' - Inquisitor-Lord Antonius Coil of the Ordo Malleus discovered the current location of the nomadic Hell-Forge of Sarum while conducting Exterminatus against the warp-tainted Hive World of Golconda-IX, and moved to see it destroyed at least. Along with warships commandeered from Battlefleet Reductas and several Militarum Tempestus regiments, he mobilised the aide of three entire Space Marine Chapters: the Brazen Claws, the Sons of the Raven and the Celestial Guard, to strike deep into the perilous Golgotha Wastes against this nightmarish thorn in the Imperium's side. Within sight of the baleful world, the Imperial fleet was ambushed on all sides by the pale warships of the Warp Ghosts and Renegade Black Wings Chaos Space Marines, and the horrific daemon-engines of their Dark Mechanicus allies of Sarum. In the brutal seventeen-hour void battle which followed, the Imperial fleet was encircled and slowly torn to pieces both from without and from within as Daemons ripped open passageways into realspace deep onboard the stalwart vessels. Only the Chapter fleet of the Brazen Claws broke free from the trap without crippling losses, while the human contingent of the Imperium's strike force was annihilated to the last. The ravaged Celestial Guard would take nearly a century to rebuild form its grievous losses from its stores of gene-seed, swearing bitter vengeance against the Warp Ghosts. The fleet-based Sons of the Raven Chapter, not one of whom escaped the deadly trap, was declared martyred and the great Bell of Lost Souls in the Tower of Heroes on Terra tolled to mourn their passing. *'Garanhir Rebellion (649.M40)' - A World Eaters warband, under the command of the notorious murderer Dhalahk, launched a mass incursion against the world of Garanhir, intent upon spilling the blood of the faithful in an unprecedented act of veneration of the Blood God. Expecting to find Garanhir unprepared for attack and ripe for the slaughter, what the Berserkers actually encountered as they charged from the assault ramps of their drop craft was a world already claimed by war, the populace armed and led by the famously militant Inquisitor Malphas Kroh. Kroh had employed a precog-coven of psykers to predict the World Eaters' assault, his punitive intervention sparking a general uprising which he put down a mere solar day before the Berserkers' attack. The World Eaters found the Inquisitor and a large force of Grey Knights, as well as Dark Swords and Black Wings Space Marines, waiting for them. Battle was joined without delay, and while the warriors of Dhalahk made a lethal account of themselves, they were ultimately slain, the entire warband cut down by the defenders, though not without significant cost to the Imperium's forces. Chapter Appearance Chapter Colours The Black Wings once wore crimson Power Armour. After the treachery of some of their brethren in the late 35th Millennium, the Black Wings changed their livery, painting half of their armour black in a halved-pattern, until such time as all their wayward former brethren are captured or killed. The Aquila or Imperialis on the chest is silver. The white squad specialty symbol (Tactical, Assault, Devastator or Veteran) is indicated on the right shoulder guard. A black Gothic numeral is stenciled in the centre of the squad specialist symbol, indicating the squad number. The shoulder plate trim displays the Company colour in accordance to the Codex -- i.e. White (1st Company), Yellow (2nd Company), Red (3rd Company), etc. Veterans of the elite 1st Company are also identified by their white helmets. Chapter Badge The Black Wing's Chapter badge is a single, black, leathery bat wing stretched outward to the right, centred on a field of red. Sources *''Adeptus Astartes: Successor Chapters'' (Limited Release Booklet), pg. 18 *''Imperial Armour Volume Two, Second Edition - War Machines of the Adeptus Astartes'', pp. 17, 19 *''Imperial Armour Volume Thirteen - War Machines of the Lost & The Damned'' by Andy Hoare with additional material by Alan Bligh & Neil Wylie, pp. 22, 23, 47 *''Insignium Astartes'', pp. 54, 56 *''Deathwatch 9: The Walker in Fire'' (Short Story) by Peter Fehervari Gallery File:BlackWingsTacticalMarine.jpg|A Black Wings Tactical Marine Black Wings.jpg|Black Wings Tactical Marine Blacks Wings_Veteran.jpg|A Sternguard Veteran of the Black Wings' elite 1st Company, 8th Squad Black Wings Land Raider Proteus.jpg|A Renegade Black Wings Chaos Land Raider Proteus; this ancient Land Raider Proteus is thought once to have served in the ranks of the Thousand Sons Legion before the Black Wings claimed it as a spoil of war es:Alas Negras Category:B Category:Imperium Category:Space Marines Category:Space Marine Chapters Category:Unknown Founding